Wednesday, August 10, 2016

New Project Sparks Density Worries in West Town

Rendering of 900 West Washington (Courtesy of TARDIS Development)

Turmoil erupted at tonight’s west loop community meeting where TARIS Real Estate introduced its new residential development for Chicago’s Restaurant Row. The developer proposes to construct a 10 story, 22-unit condominium building at 900 West Washington Street.

Both TARDIS and 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, came under heavy criticism from West Town constituents for permitting the construction of buildings that are “too dense” in a neighborhood whose appeal is that it is “less dense.” Notably, most criticism came from residents of the nearby building at 110 North Peoria Street, who claim that if this proposal moves forward, it will be the third building adjacent to theirs undergoing demolition and new construction, which they claim has caused significant damage to their building. Furthermore, residents of the Peoria Street building claim TARIS Real Estate’s team has failed to respond to their requests for more information about the proposed development for nearly a year, since it was first came to light last September.

While these types of claims and complaints are rather common at these community meetings, 110 North Peoria’s residents came prepared with their computers to prove their claims of unanswered emails, and pleaded with the development team to consult them before moving forward.

Zoning for the land at 900 West Washington does permit a development of the magnitude proposed. Though the developer is seeking a zoning change in order to slightly increase the height of the building, not the number of units, as current zoning permits up to 30 units.

If the city allows the project to move forward, the building will include 22 rather large condominium units, ranging from two to four bedrooms, with two penthouse units occupying the top two floors of the building. Parking certainly won’t be scarce, as the development will include 24 parking spaces on the ground floor, with the option for owners to have a mechanical lift installed, enabling parking for two cars in one spot. Interestingly, the building will contain no common hallways, as its elevators will open directly into its owner’s condo units.